Birdchick always on the Job

Some bunnies just can't hold their scotch.

So Non Birding Bill and I are in Madison, WI killing two birds with one stone. I'm getting some last minute training for the Rio Grande Valley Fest at Eagle Optics and he's here for World Fantasy Con. We have access to the Governor's Club at the Concourse Hotel in the evening which has a very well known bartender named Brian who is a favorite among the ladies for his chocolate martinis. I like him because he's a birder. Non Birding Bill looks at me like I'm nuts but I can find a birder everywhere I go, even if that person doesn't know yet that they are a birder, I can still tell. Hm. I wonder if that would be called "bird-dar"?

Brian had been to the website and asked just how big Cinnamon was. I told him that she was in our room and I could bring her down and he could meet her in person. So, on went the leash and Cinnamon bellied up to the bar. I was worried that sneaking a rabbit into the hotel might get is in a little trouble, but when the concierge came by and asked for a photo I knew we were okay. Brian has been in Arizona several times and told me about the all the great birds he sees out there, it's always great to meet a kindred spirit.

Speaking of kindred spirits, I met Peter Straub and got him to prank call my mother. I think she's still not convinced it was really Peter or just Non Birding Bill pretending to be Peter. At any rate, we got her an autographed copy of Ghost Story so in the end she will be happy.

This morning at breakfast we ran into Adam Stemple of the Tim Malloys and he was with his mother Jane Yolen who is married to ornithologist David Stemple who sounds like my kind of guy--he has dedicated his life to the recording of Ring Ouzels! Now that's what I call niche birding. NBB again saw the magic of running into birders anywhere but also bonded with Jane over being a non birding spouse.

Apparently "It's on"

I just read Bill of the Birds blog and discovered that BT3 of Birdwatcher's Digest fame is going to be the emcee at the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival. In the birding community that means only one thing: karaoke at bird festivals. I contacted Amy Hooper editor of Wild Bird Magazine and asked, "Is it on?" and her reply was, "Oh yeah, karaoke is on. Did an online search, found various
possibilities." Heaven help the ears of Harlingen. Woo Hoo!

Ben at Eagle Optics is going to be training me on doing my first festival for the company. He was showing me that the schedule for next week is basically working the booth from noon until 6pm. That means we have the whole morning to go birding...life is good.

Flight Club

The first rule about the Cornell Ivory-billed Woodpecker Search is you do not talk about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Search. The second rule about the Cornell Ivory-billed Woodpecker Search is you do not talk about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Search. The third rule about the Cornell Ivory-billed Woodpecker Search is you do not talk about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Search.

Well, I spent the last few weeks trying to determine what I can talk about while I'm down for two weeks in December about the ivory-billed search--nothing. What is going on is a systematic scientific search, releasing information too soon could compromise the gathering of data and worse could potentially be harmful to the overall benefit of any ivory-bills still down there.

However, there is a silver lining to the cloud! I will be able to talk and write (and a few other things) about the looking for the ivory-bill when the official search is complete, most likely in April. I'm so excited! I get to be part of an official scientific search with Cornell and create some exciting stuff that may show up on Cornell's website as well as Eagle Optics and of course birdchick.

I think blogging about my experience while I was down there was a tad unrealistic anyway since it sounds like where I will be has no internet access and my cell phone might work if I stand on top of a levee. So, I'm delighted to announce that I will have a guest blogger while I'm gone for two weeks in December. I couldn't ask for a better (or sassier) guest than Julie Zickefoose! For years she has been one of my favorite writers in Bird Watcher's Digest and many have seen her gorgeous paintings have been featured on the cover. She is who I want to be if and when I ever grow up...mostly because she hasn't quite grown up herself. She should have some fun and interesting things to say, although there is a slight difference between us (besides her massive amount of artistic talent). I am married to a Non Birding Bill and she is married to a Birding Bill. I'm curious how the other half lives.

On a side note Julie offered to design my next tattoo. She offered an ivory-billed woodpecker, but I had never seen one and at the time of the conversation had no plans to go look for one. I wanted a pileated since that was the bird that got me really interested in birding when I was a wee seven year old (who am I kidding, even at 31 I'm still wee). Besides, there are lots of bird tattoos: eagles, swallows, even Woody Woodpecker for cryin' out loud, but I have yet to see an accurate pileated on someone's body. Well, perhaps I will hold off to decide. If I see an ivory-bill, I'll get that for a tattoo. If I don't see it, I'll resort to the original pileated plan.

Birdchick Calendars at TRC

I completely forgot to mention this my last post!

If you are interested in purchasing my Birds of Minnesota Calendar for 2006, The Raptor Center has it in their gift shop. Purchases from the TRC gift shop supports the many birds of prey recovering in the clinic as well as the birds used for education. They do not have the Wisconsin or Michigan birding calendars but you can get those at All Seasons Wild Bird Store or online at Adventure Publications.

If anyone in Wisconsin or Michigan (or Minnesota for that matter) knows of nonprofit organizations carrying my calendars, please let me know and I will include a link in my blog.

Saw-whet Owls on the move

Scott Thornhill, an fm107 listener sent me a fantastic photo of a saw-whet owl in his yard in Brooklyn Park-a suburb of Minneapolis. It just goes to show that owls can be anywhere at any time. A few years ago, a saw-whet roosted just outside of the library in downtown Minneapolis for a few weeks. It's owl migration right now, so if you have one in your yard, chances are it will be gone the next day. If you see one in your yard in December, then it might stick around for awhile.

Yesterday I got back on The Raptor Center horse. I had to step down from handling and giving programs earlier this year since I was too busy to dedicate a set amount of time to it. But with my new schedule I'm able to join a regular education crew on Tuesday mornings. I knew I missed giving TRC programs, but didn't realize exactly how much I missed it. Yesterday I just kind of got to know the crew and learn all of our responsibilities on top of giving programs. I'll have to do some touch up training as far as handling goes, but hopefully I'll be back in form before the month is out.